The Agenda: England face South Africa in rugby union’s Under-20 World Cup | Sport | The Guardian The Agenda The Agenda: England face South Africa in rugby union’s Under-20 World Cup England seek repeat of 2014 triumph, Lizzie Armitstead sets off in the Tour of Britain and State of Origin hits Melbourne Billy Slater and Cameron Smith will head Queensland's challenge against New South Wales in the State of Origin on Wednesday. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images Observer staff Saturday 13 June 2015 17.00 EDT Last modified on Monday 10 October 2016 21.52 EDT Close YOUNG GUNS … With rugby union’s focus firmly planted on the World Cup to be held on these shores in the autumn, few would be surprised with a semi-final line-up of England v South Africa and New Zealand v France. A junior edition takes place on Monday at the World U20 Championship where the cadet versions of the above heavyweights collide. The top-seed Springboks face the defending champions in a repeat of the 2014 final in Calvisano (7.30pm, BT Sport 1).

Coached by the former international full-back Jon Callard, England must shrug off the 30-18 defeat by France in their final group match in Viadana. Meanwhile, looking ahead to next season, British and Irish sides can map out their European campaigns on Wednesday when the pool draws for the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup take place in Neuchâtel, Switzerland (1.30pm BT Sport). The 20 clubs involved in the senior tournament include the Premiership contingent of Bath, Saracens, Northampton, Exeter and Wasps, who be will divided between the five pools. SADDLING UP … Included in a world-class field for the second edition of the Friends Life Women’s Tour of Britain is Lizzie Armitstead, Britain’s 2014 World Cup winner. There is plenty of home interest in the 18 teams with Wiggle Honda, Pearl Izumi Sports Tours and Matrix Fitness among the squads. The race starts on Wednesday, in Bury St Edmunds, and finishes in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday. One notable absentee, however, will be the world’s greatest female road racer, Marianne Vos.

The 28-year-old three-times road world champion, who won last year’s race, is recovering from injury. MATE HITS MATE … For sheer sporting spectacle, for ferociously internecine rugby league played in an atmosphere of seething antipathy, look no further than Australia’s State of Origin. Game Two of the three-match series takes place on Wednesday (11am Premier Sports). Game One ended in a 11-10 victory for Queensland over New South Wales and the Blues will encounter a hostile atmosphere at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (capacity 100,024), where much of the local support will be backing the Maroons, thanks to a liberal seeding of Melbourne Storm players in their side. LONG JOURNEY HOME … The chequered flag comes out on Sunday in perhaps the greatest motor race of them all, the gruelling examination of man and machine that is the Le Mans 24 hours. With Porsche posting record times in practice it promises to be a vintage race.

One to watch is Nissan’s 23-year-old British driver Jann Mardenborough, who rose from obscurity after outfoxing 90,000 online racers to win Nissan’s GT Academy in 2011. Mardenborough makes his debut in LMP1 after impressing last year at the circuit in the LMP2 race. START PLANNING … Bournemouth v Manchester United anyone? No sooner does the domestic football season end than the next comes rumbling into view. Diaries out, for Wednesday brings the publication of Premier League, Football League and Scottish League fixtures. This season, due to the Euros in France, the Premier League and Football League will begin on 8 August. Rugby Football History All Blacks Barbarians Canada British & Irish Lions Ireland Scotland Springboks USA Wales Wallabies Rugby World Cup (RWC) is administered by Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL), a subsidiary of the International Rugby Board (IRB). The IRB is a non-profit making organisation. All revenue generated through its activity is placed back in the game of Rugby. Rugby World Cup is the primary source of revenue for the funding of Rugby development worldwide.

Ninety-five percent of all money distributed by the IRB worldwide for development comes from RWC revenue. These funds underpin the IRB's strategic investments programme including High Performance funding and development grants. The first RWC was held in New Zealand and Australia in 1987. The six tournaments to date are: How it all began The IRB held their annual board meeting on 20-21st March 1985 at the French Railways HQ in Paris. Each member nation had a single vote and the motion was carried 6 (Australia, England, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales) to 2 (Ireland and Scotland). It would be staged jointly by Australia and New Zealand from the 22nd May to the 20th June 1987. This gave the two host nations approx. two years to prepare. Read the full story It may also interest you to know that Rugby League's World Cup was first held in 1954. Read more World Cup Finals Estimated £80 million net surplus boost to the Game.

Loss of NZ $31.3 million, NZ $8 million lower than forecast The Famous Whistle The first game of every world cup to date has been started by the same whistle. The whistle is nearly 100 years old and bears an inscription saying it was used by Gil Evans in the Test match between New Zealand and England in December 1905, a match the All Blacks won 15-0. This piece of rugby history is also believed to have been used by Albert E. Freethy in the final of the 1924 Olympics in Paris when the United States beat hosts France 17-13 at the Colombes Stadium - the last time the sport of rugby union featured in the Games. A year later Freethy blew the whistle to dismiss Cyril Brownlie in the Test between New Zealand and England at Twickenham in January 1925, making him the first player to be sent off in an international match.

The whistle has been housed in the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North since 16 April 1969 when they held their inaugural function, having been given by Stan Dean, who for many years was the chairman of the NZRFU and manager of the 1924/25 All Blacks. The long and short of it: England rugby and dwarf-throwing do not mix | Robert Kitson | Sport | The Guardian The long and short of it: England rugby and dwarf-throwing do not mix A few drinks, a few dwarves, Martin Johnson's World Cup squad … What could possibly go wrong? Dylan Hartley and Chris Ashton enjoy themselves with a dwarf, Alex Roth, centre, at the Altitude Bar in Queenstown, New Zealand. The long and short of it: England rugby and dwarf-throwing do not mix A few drinks, a few dwarves, Martin Johnson's World Cup squad … What could possibly go wrong? Thursday 15 September 2011 05.42 EDT First published on Thursday 15 September 2011 05.42 EDT Share on Messenger Close England rugby teams in New Zealand never seem to learn.

As recently as 2008 they were embroiled in a high-profile sex scandal in Auckland , prompting the Rugby Football Union to warn its players to behave on tour in future. That stern edict appears to have been totally forgotten. Stick the following words together in any order – England captain, blonde, royal family, boobs, dwarf-throwing – and you have all the ingredients for global tabloid nirvana. The moment that explosive mental cocktail enters the public domain the truth becomes largely irrelevant. It no longer matters that the vast majority of this England squad are hard-working, honest, polite young men dying to make their country proud at this Rugby World Cup . All they will see at home are the photos on Facebook, the nudge-nudge headlines and the recriminations. Should it matter if a rugby player gets drunk on his night off? If he is a professional sportsman representing England at a World Cup it is hardly the brightest move, whether blown out of proportion by the tabloid media or not. No one, the Queen included, will be less amused than Martin Johnson . On the eve of departure he spoke of his absolute trust in his 30-man squad to handle themselves in a mature manner.

"They are there to make sensible decisions … if I can't trust them there is a simple choice for us to make," he said last month. The next thing he knows his captain, Mike Tindall, is splashed across the Sun and the internet is awash with pictures of visibly worse-for-wear England players messing around late at night. They should have stuck to safer stuff like bungee-jumping and canyon-swinging. For what it's worth, those players involved apparently did nothing more scandalous than visit a bar, pose for a few pictures and return unaccompanied to their lakeside hotel. They even went out with the full permission of the management, who purposely chose Queenstown as a base this week to allow the players to relax following last Saturday's tough game against Argentina. The locals have not been remotely offended. "They were great lads, not throwing the midgets, it was all light-hearted, good-humoured fun," insisted Rich Deane, manager of Queenstown's Altitude Bar. So that's all right then. Prince Harry wasn't even there. But hang on. You would not catch the entire All Black squad doing something similar at this tournament. Nor the Wallabies.

And they just happen to be the best teams in the world. They also happen to be coached by two hard-bitten Kiwis – Graham Henry and Robbie Deans – who know precisely how to manage 30 testosterone-filled blokes with plenty of evenings to fill. One England player, who had better remain nameless, said he could not believe his team management had allowed the squad to go out and get "as leathered as we did". To which Johnson would presumably respond that he was not the one pouring the drinks down his players' throats. The root of the problem is that modern professional rugby players cannot quite decide how they want to be perceived. Do they want to be showbiz celebrities, living the high life, marrying into the royal family and enjoying all the financial trappings, at a significant cost to their anonymity? Or do they want to carry on in time-honoured fashion: working hard and playing harder, confident in the knowledge that whatever goes on on tour stays on tour and that 90% of the country still think Lawrence Dallaglio is captain of England? Doing both, in this era of smartphones and dim athletes, is increasingly unrealistic.

We are not talking here, to be clear, about the odd quiet drink but serious late-night revelry. You do not have to be recently married into royalty to become public property when you are captaining England at a World Cup in New Zealand. Johnson should know this better than anyone. He was at home attending the birth of his second child in June 2008 when a handful of England players were led astray in Auckland's Pony Club, but he has made clear he expected no repeat on his watch. "We speak about it whenever we go away and we'll do that again when we hit the ground," he said a fortnight ago. "We have got to be careful. It is a different world to what it was 20 years ago. I remember going to New Zealand as a British Lion in 1993 and the boys had good fun but they have got to be careful not to put themselves and their team mates at risk." So why, then, did he give his squad carte blanche to get on it in New Zealand's adventure capital, having played one of their four pool games? The royal aides who have been frantically trying to reach Tindall on the phone are not alone in wondering what on earth is going on.

As it happens, Lewis Moody is due back for Sunday's game against Georgia and will lead the side, with Tindall expected to be rested. The public relations damage, though, has already been done. People have seen the dwarf-tossing headlines and the bungee-jump pictures and will probably leap to their own conclusions. Woe betide England if they now fall short of expectations in the weeks to come. Back home they will no longer be giving them the benefit of the doubt. England officials have defended the conduct of their captain Mike Tindall following the publication of details about a squad outing to a Queenstown nightclub Published: 15 Sep 2011 Ten facts about the Rugby Previous Facts - Next Facts Ten Facts About Rugby Take football but add odd-shaped balls that you can pick up and you end up with rugby - the sport of gentlemen. Here are ten facts about Rugby. Fact One The sport of rugby is named after Rugby School, where the game was first played. The game is said to have been invented in 1823 when William Webb Ellis caught the ball while playing a game of football* at school, and ran to the goal with it.

Although there is doubt about whether this actually happened, Webb Ellis is still remembered as the sport's inventor and the winner of the Rugby Union World Cup, held every four years, receives the Webb Ellis Cup. * At the time, the game of football played in schools wasn't the sport that it is now, with each school having their own rules. It was only from the middle of the 19th Century when inter-school matches began to take place that set rules were defined, with the two main variants of football becoming Association Football (soccer if you're American) and Rugby Football. Fact Two Rugby is known for the use of oval-shaped balls. However, this hasn't always been the case. Initially, the balls were plum-shaped due to the shape of pigs' bladders that they were made from. They became more spherical towards the end of the 19th Century when they began being made using rubber inner tubes rather than the bladders of pigs. However, to distinguish the balls used in rugby from the balls used for football, Rugby School requested that their balls remained slightly egg-shaped. Over time, they have become more and more flattened to the shape that they are now.

Oval balls are more suited to rugby than spherical balls as they are easier to catch, hold and run with and don't roll as far so don't go out of play as often. Fact Three As rugby balls and footballs were made from pigs' bladders and they had to be blown up by breath alone, it was possible to become ill if blowing up a diseased bladder, and the wife of Richard Lindon, a man who made balls for Rugby School in the 19th Century, died after breathing in the air from too many bad bladders. Fact Four The reigning Rugby Olympic champion is that famous (?) rugby-playing nation, the United States! The game of rugby has only has only been an Olympic sport four times and made its first and last Olympic Games appearances in Paris. The first time it was played was in 1900 during the Paris Olympics. It was played again in the London Olympics of 1908, next in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics and finally in the 1924 Paris Olympics. As well as being the current Olympic champion, the United States is also the most successful nation winning gold in both the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games.

A seven-a-side version of Rugby will make an appearance in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Fact Five The first time a national anthem was sung before a sporting event happened, kind of spontaneously, before a rugby game. New Zealand famously dance the Haka before the start of a game of rugby, a traditional war-dance which is sometimes seen as an attempt to intimidate their opposition. On 16th November 1905 they played Wales at Cardiff Arms Park. After New Zealand danced the Haka before the match, Wales responded by beginning to sing the Welsh national anthem, ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ (not sure what it means, but it probably isn't anything to do with chickens). The crowd picked up on this and joined in. Nowadays, before major sporting events, it is traditional for the national anthems of the countries being represented to be sung beforehand. Fact Six Rugby Union World Cup tournaments are held every four years. The first tournament took place in 1987. It was hosted by Australia and New Zealand and was won by New Zealand. The United Kingdom and Ireland hosted the 1991 tournament which was won by Australia.

South Africa were hosts in 1995 and also won the tournament. Wales hosted the tournament in 1999 when Australia were victorious. Australia hosted the 2003 tournament which England won and France hosted the 2007 which South Africa won. New Zealand were hosts for the 2011 World Cup, which they also won, while the 2015 World Cup is being held in England and Wales. Fact Seven Rugby players mostly earn points by scoring tries, achieved by a player crossing the touchline with a ball and touching it to the ground (which can be done by falling on it!). A try in rugby union is worth 5 points, in rugby league it is worth 4. However, a try was once worth nothing, instead it gave the player who achieved one the opportunity to "try" to score a goal, hence its name. Goals were scored by placing the ball on the ground and kicking it over the crossbar and between the two posts, therefore converting the try into a goal, a goal being worth 1 point. Nowadays, an attempt at a conversion still follows a successful try and gives players the opportunity to score an extra 2 points.

Fact Eight The Rugby World Cup game with the highest number of points was 162 from the match played on 4th June 1995 when New Zealand beat Japan 145 points to 17. Fact Nine The same whistle is used to kick off the opening game of every Rugby World Cup tournament. It is the Gil Evans whistle and was first blown by Gil Evans, the Welsh referee overseeing a match between England and New Zealand in 1905. It was also used at the kick off of the final rugby match at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Fact Ten The first international rugby match took place between Scotland and England in 1871 at Raeburn Park in Edinburgh. Scotland won 1-0 by converting a try. The scorer, and therefore the first player to score an international rugby goal, was William Cross. If the modern scoring system was used, the score would have been 12-5 to Scotland, who scored two tries and one conversion. England achieved one try but failed to convert. International Rugby Board - SportsPro Media International Rugby Board Contact Details IRB Organisation The International Rugby Board (IRB) was founded in 1886.

With its headquarters in Dublin, the IRB is the world governing and Law making body for the Game of Rugby Union. The IRB has several main functions including: Governance of the Laws and Regulations and their enforcement Tournament owners and managers Global game development through Member Unions funding via grants and Strategic Investment programmes, and delivery of Education & Development programmes Game promotion IRB Charter The IRB Charter provides a checklist of how the Game should be played and approached, in order to maintain the unique social and emotional principles that underpin it. Download the IRB Charter (PDF) by clicking on one of the links below: IRB Charter (ZH) The day to day business of the Board is conducted by a professional staff of over 50, the majority of whom are based in Dublin. Personnel employed around the world includes Regional Development Managers, High Performance Managers and Regional General Managers working in Europe, Asia, Africa, The Americas and Oceania. Rugby is played by men and women, boys and girls, in more than 100 countries across five continents. The IRB membership currently totals 97 Unions in full membership, 20 Associate Members and six Regional Associations.

The IRB Council, under the Chairmanship of Bernard Lapasset, meets twice a year. It consists of the eight foundations Unions each with two seats - Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France. Argentina, Canada, Italy and Japan each have one seat on the Council as do all the Regional Associations. An Executive Committee meets on a regular basis in order to formulate and oversee the implementation of the IRB Strategic Plan, monitor performance and implement good corporate governance principles and practices. The full membership meets at a General Meeting convened every two years. Regional meetings are held at regular intervals. There are a number of tournaments under IRB control, including the Women's Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup Sevens, HSBC Sevens World Series, IRB Junior World Championship, IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy and IRB Nations Cup. The principal IRB property is, however, Rugby World Cup. Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup (RWC) is the financial engine which drives the development of the game world-wide. The revenues from RWC provide the IRB with the funds which are distributed to the Member Unions to aid and assist them in the expansion and development of the game.

Rugby World Cup Limited, under the control and direction of the IRB, is the owner of all rights associated with the Tournament. The inaugural Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand and Australia in 1987. The first winners of the Webb Ellis Cup were New Zealand. In 1991 Australia were the winners at Twickenham; South Africa, as hosts, were the winners in 1995; in 1999 Australia won the Cup for a second time at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 2003 saw the first northern hemisphere winners - England - in Sydney, but the trophy returned south in 2007 when South Africa became the second team to win two Rugby World Cups with their victory in the Stade de France, Paris. RWC 2007 attracted 2.2 million ticket sales, 1.8 million website hits and record television viewing figures through broadcast exposure via 238 channels around the world. The cumulative TV audience was estimated as 4.2 billion. From the quarter-final stage onwards the matches were completely sold out and the qualifying pool stages set a new record for average crowd attendance at 48,500.

RWC has now become established as one of the most important sporting events behind the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Rugby in South Africa Rugby in South Africa Tweet on Twitter Rugby is one of South Africa’s big three sports, alongside soccer and cricket. For the many South African fans of the game, rugby is a serious matter, a source of bursting pride and joy – or shattering disappointment. The country has traditionally fared extremely well on the world stage, and South African fans expect their national team to win every game it plays. To help your understanding, here’s a quick guide to the game of rugby in South Africa: The changing face of South African rugby Sport, like no other South African institution, has shown it has the power to heal old wounds. When the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home turf in 1995, Nelson Mandela donned the No 6 shirt of the team’s captain – Francois Pienaar, a white Afrikaner – and the two embraced in a spontaneous gesture of racial reconciliation that melted hearts around the country. A single moment, and 400 years of colonial strife and bitterness … suddenly seemed so petty.

For the disadvantaged people of the old apartheid South Africa, rugby was the white man’s game, and even more so the game of the Afrikaner. Traditionally, most communities of colour played soccer while, for white communities, rugby was the winter sport of choice. Things have changed in South Africa since 1994, however, and the South African Rugby Football Union has been working hard to make rugby the game of all South Africans, mainly through an active development programme throughout the country. At provincial age-group levels, players of colour are playing an increasingly prominent role as the development programme and the quota system begin to bear fruit. Through the quota system, players of colour are being given the opportunity to compete at the higher levels of the game, and a growing number are showing that they belong there by securing places in Super 14 teams and – the highest honour for a South African rugby player – in the Springbok side. The Springboks The Springboks are the national rugby team and traditionally one of the sport’s international powerhouses. Every talented South African youngster dreams of one day wearing “the green and gold”.

The Boks have an outstanding international scoresheet, and for many years enjoyed a winning record against all other nations, until a slight slump in performances after South Africa’s return from international isolation in 1992. New Zealand’s All Blacks now hold a slight edge in head-to-head meetings with the Springboks, but the South Africans retain a winning record against all other countries. There have been five big highlights since South Africa’s return from international isolation. The first of these took place in 1995 when the country hosted rugby’s biggest tournament, the World Cup. The Springboks made it through to the final at Ellis Park where, spurred on by a frenzied home crowd, and with the whole of South Africa willing them on, they trumped the All Blacks 15-12 in extra time to lift the sport’s most coveted trophy. The Boks’ display, opening with a win over defending champions Australia and finishing with victory over favourites New Zealand, united the country, bringing people of all colours together just a year after South Africa’s first democratic elections.

The second highlight occurred in 1998, when South Africa broke New Zealand’s hold on the Tri-Nations, a competition that matches up the “big three” of the southern hemisphere, with Australia completing the trio. The Kiwis had won the first two competitions without losing a match, but Gary Teichmann’s 1998 side showed spirit and poise in winning all four of their matches to lift the title for the first time. The third highlight included the Springboks’ 1998 Tri-Nations title and went beyond it. It was a run of 17 victories in succession, equalling the world record run by New Zealand between 1965 and 1970 (which, appropriately, was halted by South Africa). During their 1997/98 run, South Africa defeated Australia, New Zealand, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Italy – all of them, with the exception of Italy, teams rated amongst the world’s elite. After a rough period, during which Springbok coaches came and went with alarming rapidity, Jake White was appointed coach in 2003.

He would go on to lead the team in more matches than any other Springbok coach. He was also at the helm when the fourth great highlight was achieved. In October 2007, South Africa beat England 15-6 in the final of the World Cup in Paris, after advancing through the tournament unbeaten, to join Australia as the only two-time winner of the William Webb Ellis Trophy. Not long afterwards, Jake White was named International Rugby Board (IRB) Coach of the Year and Bryan Habana IRB Player of the Year. The Springboks were named IRB Team of the Year and, at the Laureus Sports Awards in February 2008, World Sports Team of the Year. The following year they captured their third Tri-Nations title, defeating the All Blacks three times on their way to the title. They also beat the British and Irish Lions 2-1 in a three-match series. In New Zealand, in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the Springboks won all of their pool matches, defeating Wales, Namibia, Fiji, and Samoa.

They exited the tournament at the quarterfinals stage, falling 11-9 to Australia, which, incredibly, was the sole statistic they trailed the Wallabies by when the match was over. Tri-Nations The Tri-Nations was an annual competition that took place in July and August from 1996 to 2011 to decide the top international team in the southern hemisphere. The competition was born of a demand for more regular competition between the southern hemisphere superpowers following the success of the 1995 World Cup. Between them, the three competing countries – New Zealand, South Africa and Australia – have won six out of the seven World Cups contested since 1987, so to be crowned Tri-Nations champion was a great honour. Tri-Nations champions: 1996: New Zealand The Rugby Championship In 2012, the Tri-Nations competition was expanded to include Argentina and became known as the Rugby Championship. Reigning World Cup champions, New Zealand, became the first winners of the new competition.

The Rugby Championship champions: 2013: New Zealand Super Rugby The Super Rugby competition features 15 regional teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, with each country providing five teams. The forerunner of the competition was the Super 10, contested by provincial teams from the three countries as well as Samoa in 1993 and 1994 and Tonga in 1995. In 1996, the competition became the Super 12, featuring provincial and regional teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, with the Tongans and Samoans falling out. Two more teams were added in 2006 and it became the Super 14. The Super Rugby competition begins in February and runs through until August.

Five South African teams are selected from the Sharks (made up of players from the Natal Sharks), the Stormers (made up of players from Western Province and Boland), the Cheetahs (made up of players from the Cheetahs, Griquas and Griffons), the Lions (made up of players from the Lions, Pumas and Leopards), the Bulls (made up of players from the Blue Bulls and Falcons) and the Southern Kings (made up of players from the Kings, Bulldogs and Eagles) Back in 1993, the team then known as Transvaal (now the Lions) beat New Zealand team Auckland to win the first Super 10 competition. But it was to be a long wait for local fans for the next South African Super rugby winner: until 2007, when the Bulls scored a converted try after the final hooter to sneak a 20-19 win against the Sharks in Durban. Super Rugby champions: 1993: Transvaal (SA) Currie Cup The Currie Cup, the premier provincial rugby competition in South Africa, was first contested in 1892.

The format of the Currie Cup varied from year to year, and finals were held intermittently until 1968, after which the final became an annual event. Up to and including 2011, the most successful province in the history of the Currie Cup is Western Province with 32 titles (four shared), followed by the Blue Bulls with 23 (four shared), the Lions with 10 (one shared), the Natal Sharks with six, and the Cheetahs with four (one shared). Other teams that have lifted the trophy include Griquas (three times) and Border (twice, both shared). For many years the biggest rivalry in South African rugby was between Western Province and the Blue Bulls. During the early to mid-1990s this was superseded by a three-way rivalry between Natal, the Lions and Western Province. The Blue Bulls have returned to Currie Cup prominence, however, while the Free State Cheetahs won three titles in succession, from 2005 to 2007, including sharing the Currie Cup with the Blue Bulls in 2006. The Currie Cup takes place roughly between July and October.

The format divides 14 teams into eight Premier Division and six First Division teams. The teams, in alphabetical order, are: Blue Bulls, Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs, Eagles, Falcons, Free State Cheetahs, Golden Lions, Griffons, Griquas, Leopards, Mighty Elephants, Natal Sharks, Pumas and Western Province. Currie Cup champions (since 1994): 2013: Natal Sharks 1994: Transvaal Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup has become an important competition on the South African rugby calendar. It takes place at the same time as the Super 14 competition – starting in late February and finishing in mid-May – and thus creates a platform for talented young players who might otherwise not get a chance to make their mark. It has also been a fertile breeding ground for strong players from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, thanks to the enforcement of quotas. Quotas, successfully implemented lower down, now extend through the higher levels of South African rugby, including the Super 14.

The Vodacom Cup is divided into two sections – North and South – with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals and playing cross-section matches of one- versus-two for a place in the final. The North is made up of the Griffons, Pumas, Golden Lions, Griquas, Blue Bulls, Leopards XV, Valke, and the Limpopo Blue Bulls. The South’s teams are the Sharks XV, Free State XV, Western Province, Tusker Simba XV (Kenya), SWD Eagles, EP Kings, Boland Cavaliers, and Border. Since the first Vodacom Cup season in 1998, up to and including 2014, the Golden Lions have won four titles, including a hat-trick from 2002 to 2004, while Griquas have also claimed four titles. The Golden Lions have taken the honours on five occasions, while there have also been titles for and Blue Bulls , the Falcons, Western Province, Griqualand West, Free State Cheetahs and Argentina’s Pampas XV.

Vodacom Cup champions: Rugby Football History All Blacks Barbarians Canada British & Irish Lions Ireland Scotland Springboks USA Wales Wallabies The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954. The prime motivators behind the idea of holding rugby league world cup were the French, who were short of money following the seizing of their assets by the rugby union in World War II. They had campaigned for it since 1935. In January 1952 the idea gained momentum. At a meeting held in Blackpool, England, November 1953, the International Board accepted Paul Barrie’s proposal that France should be the nation to host the inaugural Rugby League World Cup. The World Cup was initially contested by the four Test nations: Australia, Great Britain, France and New Zealand). The teams played each other in a league format. A group stage was held first, with Great Britain topping the table as a result of points difference. They went on to defeat France (who finished second in the table, level on points) in the final, which was held at the Charlety Stadium, Paris, in front of around 30,000 spectators.

Group stages October 30: France 22 - 13 New Zealand (Paris) October 31: Australia 13 - 28 Great Britain (Lyon) November 7: France 13 - 13 Great Britain (Toulouse) November 7: Australia 34 - 15 New Zealand (Marseilles) November 11: Great Britain 26 - 6 New Zealand (Bordeaux) November 11: France 15 - 5 Australia (Nantes) League standings November 13: France 12 - 16 Great Britain (Charlety Stadium, Paris) Extract from The second World Cup in Australia in 1957. Australia proved victorious on their home ground after ending up top opf the ladder. After the successful 1960 competition, in which Great Britain won the title for the second time, there would be no further World Cup for 8 years. The competition had be scheduled to be held in France in 1965, but after an unsuccessful tour of Australia, the French withdrew.

The tournament was next held in 1968, and followed a 2 year cycle until the mid-1970s. The 1972 World Cup final ended in a 10-all draw, and the title was awarded to Great Britain by virtue of their superior record in the qualifiers. In 1975 the competition underwent its most radical overhaul to date. It was decided to play matches on a home and away basis around the world, instead of in any one host nation. Furthermore, the Great Britain team was spilt into England and Wales. Australia won that tournament, and in 1977 it was decided that Great Britain should once more compete as a single entity. Although the final between Australia and Great Britain was a closely fought affair, public interest in the tournament waned due to the continuing tinkering with the format, and it would not be held again until the mid-1980s. From 1985 to 1988, each nation played each other a number of times on a home and away basis. At the end of that period Australia met New Zealand at Eden Park.

The match was a physical encounter, and Australian captain Wally Lewis played part of the match with a broken arm. The Kangaroos won the competition 25-12. This format was repeated from 1989-1992, and Australia defeated Great Britain 10-6 at Wembley Stadium in front of 72,000 people. This crowd remains a rugby league World Cup record. In 1995 the competition was once again restructured, and the largest number of teams to date, 10, entered. New teams competing included Fiji, Tonga Samoa and South Africa. The tournament, which was also held to celebrate the centenary of the sport in England, was highly successful with over 250,000 people attending the group stages and over 66,000 people attending the final to see Australia defeat England 16-8 in the final. The 2000 world cup expanded the field further, with 16 teams entering. Blown out scorelines ensured that this tournament was not as successful as the previous one. Ten teams are to compete in the next World Cup in Australia in 2008.

It has also been announced that a further tournament will be held in Great Britain in 2012 Potted history from 1954 World Cup Champions - Great Britain Great Britain defeated France 16-12 in the first ever 'Rugby' World Cup Final, played in Paris. The 1954 World Cup was played in France. 1957 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia won by virtue of being at the top of the ladder. Followed games in Sydney and Brisbane, Australia defeating New Zealand 25-5, Great Britain 31-6 and France 26-9. 1960 World Cup Champions - Great Britain Great Britain won by virtue of being at the top of the ladder. Great Britain defeated Australia 10-3 at Odsal Stadium in England. Both Great Britain and Australia were undefeated coming into the match. 1968 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated France 20-2 in the World Cup Final in Sydney. The 1968 World Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand. 1970 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated Great Britain 12-7 in the World Cup Final in Leeds.

The 1970 World Cup was played in England. 1972 World Cup Champions - Great Britain Great Britain and Australia played a 10-all draw in Lyon, France. Great Britain were declared World Cup winners by virtue of being undefeated. 1975 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia won by virtue of being at the top of the ladder, one point ahead of England. The 1975 World Cup was played in Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales and France and was spread over the entire year. Great Britain was divided into the two home nations of England and Wales. 1977 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated Great Britain 13-12 in the World Cup Final in Sydney. The 1977 World Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand. 1985-1988 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated New Zealand 25-12 in the World Cup Final in Auckland. Played internationally over four seasons, the ninth World Cup tournament saw the introduction of Papua-New Guinea.

1989-1992 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated Great Britain 10-6 in the World Cup Final in front of 76,631 people at Wembley Stadium in London. 1995 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated England 16-8 in the World Cup Final in London. The 1995 World Cup, played in England, saw the introduction of more rugby league nations as well Great Britain being divided into home nations. The Australian Rugby League announced that matches played by the Kangaroos would be given ARL Test match status. 2000 World Cup Champions - Australia Australia defeated New Zealand 40-12 in the World Cup Final in Manchester. The 2000 World Cup was played in Great Britain and France. Great Britain was divided itself into four home nations. A number of new teams were introduced including NZ Maori and Cook Is. in addition to Lebanon, Russia, Fiji and South Africa. 2008 World Champions - New Zealand New Zealand defeated Australia 34 - 20 in the World cup final in Brisbane. The 2008 world cup was played in Australia.

Massive underdogs heading into the match, the Kiwis pulled off the biggest upset in World Cup history as the Kangaroos surrendered their No.1 ranking to their trans-Tasman rivals with their first loss since 2006. The next Rugby League World Cup is scheduled for 2013.

Question: In which country is the Rugby Union World Cup due to be held in 2011?
Answer: NEW ZEALAND